Well March sounds like it`s off to a good start. Basketball, broken noses, and baptisms. Sounds good to me! I`m glad Papa is doing well. I sent a letter for him. Tell me when you get that big ol envelope by the way.
Anywho, my new companion is Elder Sotomayor de Guayaquil. He has the same time as me, in fact, I met him when he was in Riobamba and I was in Guaranda. So that`s cool. He`s a happy guy who likes to cook (you might have guessed it) rice and chicken intestines. Yeaaaah man. Que rico. I, on the other hand, am eating a different of variety of cereal every morning and night with a bit of Tampico orange juice. We balance each other out pretty well.
The week went well. I realized I hardly know the members of the ward because we just worked with our investigators last change. So my companion asks me who`s who and I just say, "You know as well as I do." So we got to know some members, contacted a lot of Evangelists (I prefer teaching Catholics), and we have two nice ladies with baptismal date for the 16th. Rosa, who`s a widow and a reference from the offices, and Maria , the grandma of a Familia. We also found 4 teenagers from the coast who also accepted baptism for the 23rd, their uncles are members.
The zone is going through a rough patch. We had to change the house of the missionaries with the house of the sisters. There was a dolly (young girl in love with the missionaries) on the second floor of their apartment and I just didn´t feel good about it. So I was helping them move and then get to know their sector.
AH! I got to mow a lawn this week!! Not with a machete, not with scissors, not with a goat, but with a lawn mower!!! Woooo baby that brought back memories of cutting our lawn and Grandma`s lawn. But this was a big lawn. With hills and holes. So it was interesting. But man I felt like I was in summer. The weather, the sun, the lawn mower, tomate de arbol juice, and just feelin good. When we finished, we all went inside to eat some....(dun dun duh da!) rice and chicken. Can`t get much better than that.
Speaking of which, did you know that Chinese food is different in every country?? Panda express my rear. Here it`s....RICE! With different seasoning and chicken and beef mixed in there. You put ketchup on it. It`s pretty sweet.
So to end this nice rambling session up, I love sacrament meeting. I never really understood it before the mission I don`t think. It`s a chance to receive inspiration and direction in your lives, it`s a chance to know what we need to improve and how we can follow Christ more honestly, it`s time to really focus on the life of Christ. Yet sometimes we focus too much on what the other person is wearing today, what the kid in front of us is eating, who`s baby is crying, and or if we like this flavor of bread that they used for the sacrament. That`s not how it should be.
I thought during the sacrament, "what do I lack?" What can I do better? After the sacrament, the thoughts started ringing into my ears, "By this shall men know, if ye are my disciples, if ye have love, one to another."
I thought of John 13, 34-35, I thought how I`ve failed to really love my companions, my investigators, the missionaries in my zone. I thought about how I`ve turned into a robot and why I`ve become so lifeless and dull. It`s because I`m lacking love. Success isn`t me baptizing tons of people, success isn`t being able to know all the scriptures of Preach My Gospel, success is becoming like Christ and loving Him and my fellow man. And I haven`t had success yet. At least not entirely. Not like the Lord wants.
So I have four months left and I`m determined to save what I can of my mission. I`m gonna open up this clam of a heart and hopefully have REAL success in the mission. So that`s what made me just be impacted there in sacrament meeting.
I love you mom, I`m thankful for all you do, be careful, stay strong, and keep on rockin on.
Choa!
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